Dale & Mamie "Coming Home" to the Attic
Dale Rayburn & Mamie Joe
Friday, March 28
On Friday, March 28, the Attic Gallery will hold a homecoming of sorts for Roswell, Georgia artists Dale Rayburn and his wife, Mamie Joe. They will be showing a selection of their latest paintings, monotypes, etchings, and collages in an exhibit called “Coming Home.”
Although both Dale Rayburn and Mamie Joe are native Mississippians, they moved away from their home state over 37 years ago. Lesley Silver had only recently opened her Attic Gallery in Vicksburg when she saw their work in Atlanta. She contacted them immediately because their work seemed to be exactly what she wanted for her fledgling gallery. “It was original graphics (etchings) and it was Southern, a combination that was rare at the time. Dale’s piece was called ‘My Turn, Your Turn’ and I knew I wanted it as soon as I saw it,” she recalls. “Dale responded, and the rest is history. The Attic has exclusively represented Dale and Mamie in central Mississippi since the early 1970’s. Since that time they have become nationally known. Just last month Rayburn and Joe both won major awards at the Cocoanut Grove Show in Florida.
Dale’s early etchings often featured old men as their subjects; and Mamie’s were often images of cats or glamorous women. “Their work seemed to tell stories and they quickly developed a following of collectors here in Vicksburg with many eagerly awaiting their newest work.” Silver said. “They have evolved over the years, but both Dale and Mamie continue to do work that people connect to.”
Along with their signature work, they will be showcasing a new project for the first time here in Vicksburg. It is a group of collaborative collages created on the computer. “It’s something fun we have been working on,” Dale Rayburn said, “and the Attic seemed like a good place to share it.”
The couple wanted to call this exhibit Coming Home, because, even though they have maintained ties to Mississippi, they recently have built a new studio at Rayburn’s family’s old home place in Carriere, Mississippi. “After Katrina, we had to come tend to the old farm and somehow we have reconnected, and wanted to be able to spend time here and work here.”
The couple wanted to call this exhibit Coming Home, because, even though they have maintained ties to Mississippi, they recently have built a new studio at Rayburn’s family’s old home place in Carriere, Mississippi. “After Katrina, we had to come tend to the old farm and somehow we have reconnected, and wanted to be able to spend time here and work here.”
Dale and Mamie will be at the opening reception from 7 PM to 9 PM on Friday, March 28 at the Attic Gallery at 1101 Washington Street in downtown Vicksburg. The show will continue through April. For more information call the Attic Gallery: 601 638 9221.
